Cobra Soldier
Enemy Trooper (Prototype Version)

In a 1982 GI Joe toy catalogue, we get a look at the original lineup of Joes, more or less in their final forms, with a couple of Cobras in the background who were not. Hasbro designers originally mocked up the ARAH Joes using Mego CHiPs action figures, and it's clear from the pictures that these Cobras were still the mock-ups. Their final versions had presumably not been completely tooled yet when the catalogue was shot. I have a small collection of Mego 3-3/4” figures, including a few doubles, so I decided to make some customs based on these prototype figures. I did not try to recreate them exactly, which would probably be impossible anyway due to lack of complete reference material, but I only used Mego parts and used elements of both the prototypes and the final figures in designing them. So I found some parts that worked together, added some details with expoxy putty as Hasbro surely did back in the day, and then painted them up. One wrinkle in the painting was that the Mego method of doing eyes was to make a depression for the iris, which was presumably an attempt to give the eye some definition without having to use a paint app. So that makes painting the eyes a bit tricky, as they were never intended to be painted. But I think I did alright there.

Head – Ponch (Mego CHiPs line) modified
Arms, torso, waist – Bo Duke (Mego Dukes of Hazzard line) modified
Upper legs – Charles Pizer (Mego Black Hole line) modified
Lower legs – Killer Kane (Mego Buck Rogers line) modified

Cobra Soldier Prototype 1 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

Cobra Soldier Prototype 2 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

Cobra Soldier Prototype 3 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

Cobra Soldier Prototype 4 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

Cobra Soldier Prototype 5 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

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Cobra Officer
Enemy Officer (Prototype Version)

Head, torso – Charles Pizer (Mego Black Hole line) modified
Arms – Killer Kane (Mego Buck Rogers line) modified
Waist, legs – Ponch (Mego CHiPs line) modified

Cobra Officer Prototype 1 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

Cobra Officer Prototype 2 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

Cobra Officer Prototype 3 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

Cobra Officer Prototype 4 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

Cobra Officer Prototype 5 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

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Cobra Commander
Enemy Dictator (Prototype Version)

I also decided to go one step further than just doing customs of the Cobra Officer and Cobra Soldier. I wanted a prototype Cobra Commander as well, made the same way (out of Mego parts), even though so far as we know, no such thing existed in the past. I found one Buck Rogers figure that was perfect for this role: Dr. Huer. With the right paint job, he could be made to appear similar to a dictator who aspires to military airs, heavily decorated with medals that he awarded to himself. So this prototype version is called Enemy Dictator rather than Enemy Leader, with the idea that the background of the character would have changed between the prototype and production stages.

All parts – Dr. Huer (Mego Buck Rogers line), head is modified

Cobra Commander Prototype 1 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

Cobra Commander Prototype 2 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

Cobra Commander Prototype 3 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

Cobra Commander Prototype 4 by Iain Fyffe, on Flickr

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A modern version of your prototype CC design is now on my long "to make" list.

That is AWESOME.

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really cool project!

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Bloody brilliant! Loving everything about these.



Same. A modern version will be awesome.

OB

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I usually skip the RAH customs because they're just not my thing anymore, but I had to look at this because those kitbashed prototype pictures were so fascinating to me as a kid. I was actually disappointed with original toys when I finally got them as a kid because they didn't look like the pictures. There was just something about them.

Seeing your customs evokes those same feelings. Just beautiful. Simply beautiful.

The Commander and Officer steal the show here. Fun idea being inspired by the soldier.

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Baroness
Enemy Intelligence (Prototype Version)

A while back I did some customs based on the prototype Cobra soldier and officer figures which appeared in an early Joe catalogue, which were made out of Mego figures from a few years earlier. I included an original creation – a Cobra Commander made of a figure from the Buck Rogers line, how he might have appeared as a prototype figure. Upon seeing this set, someone suggested that I should use a Wilma Deering figure (from Buck Rogers) to make a prototype Baroness. Even though she was not in the original figure lineup, she was a prominent character from issue #1 of the comic, so it's appropriate to include her with the originals. I think of the resulting figure as if Erin Gray was cast in the pilot for a GI Joe TV series, and they got her to play the role like a stern librarian, but then recast the role when it went to series after they decided an Eastern European dominatrix would make for better ratings.

All parts – Wilma Deering (Mego Buck Rogers line)

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Very nice project! Outstanding work man

nice addition!

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Really like this concept and what you're coming up with for it.

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They are fantastic!

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